GR8-2-B-NOMN8D Part #5

Starting in two weeks, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills will begin the fifth edition of their annual Great To Be Nominated series. Each Monday at 7pm an Oscar nominated feature (no winners, just nominees) will screen with selected nominated shorts. The features to be shown are listed here. The animated shorts are not posted on the Academy’s website, but the following are scheduled to be shown:

Notable among the titles selected are Don Hertzfeldt’s Rejected, Disney’s Destino, Runaway Brain and Redux Riding Hood. The latter film is particularly hard to see and shouldn’t be missed–it’s one of the best studio shorts of the last twenty years.

Redux Riding Hood (1997) was produced by Disney Television Animation for an aborted series of Twisted Fairy Tales. This one, written by Dan O’Shannon (The Fan and The Flower) and directed by Steve Moore (Flip Magazine) tells the tale of an obsessed wolf (voiced by Michael Richards, before he was un-P.C.) who builds a time machine to undo his previous mistakes in catching Red Riding Hood. It was never really released, and who knows if anyone at the studio will ever figure out a way to put it out on video. Michael Richards’ involvement may seal its fate forever. It’s screening on May 19th with L.A. Confidential, a terrific double bill. This, along with Song of the South and The Sweatbox, may be the one of the best films perpetually locked in the Disney vault. If you are in L.A., make plans to see it.

Here’s a cut and paste from Wiki on the impending release of Destino on DVD. No verification that I’m aware of:
It was shown as part of the exhibition Dali & Film at Tate Modern from June to September, 2007.
The Disney DVD “True-Life Adventures, Volume 3″ has a trailer for Destino and mentions a DVD release. In 2007, the “True-Life Adventure” series was suspended and those titles previously announced we moved to the “Treasures” line. “Destino is scheduled for release on November 11, 2008.

http://www.abelboddy.com C.Edwards

Ahh mann… can someone bootleg this for me and send it to the East coast?

Inkan1969

What was the reason why “Redux Riding Hood” was locked up long before Michael Richards screwed up his career? I had heard that this “Twisted Fairy Tales” series was actually intended to be a cartoon for adult audiences, to be shown either on prime time or a cable station. I’ve never seen RRH, and so I can’t confirm the rumors I’ve heard of this short, that it’s a PG-13 or R-level cartoon. Can anyone confirm or correct me?

Paul N

I’ve seen Redux, and while it’s been a while, I don’t remember it being PG-13 or R. It was definitely different than standard Disney fare, but I don’t recall any glaring “adult” content.

Scotty

When’s the last time Disney TV Animation made anything even mildly PG, let alone PG-13 or R? Michael Richards’ un-PC classification WILL seal Redux’s fate unless they trot out Maltin or Goldberg to recite their favored legal disclaimer at some future date. It sounds like they don’t want to risk even a hint of backlash, whether the short is any good or not.

http://eggheadcheesybird.co.uk Alex

I thought you said it was written by Dan O’Bannon (the director of Return of the Living Dead) for a second there.
Now that would make an interesting Disney short…

Inkan1969

Actually, Scotty, around the time Redux was made I kept hearing reports that the TV department back then wanted to expand beyond conventional Disney projects, though maybe just to keep up with the competition. That attitude probably led to shows like “Gargoyles” (big success) and “Shnookums and Meat” (dud) to get greenlighted. So I heard that they had wanted to make the Twisted Fairy Tales series be more adult skewed. Disney TV also did the animation for “Clerks”, didn’t they? And I heard that Disney TV once proposed a “South Park” style prime time cartoon called “Furry Creatures” for UPN. Anyone here remember that stillborn project?

Dock Miles

>unless they trot out Maltin or Goldberg to recite their favored legal disclaimer at some future date.

?????

What are they going to say? “The voice of the wolf in this short was done by a doofus who doesn’t have a clue about racial issues but those issues don’t have anything to do with this film — so relax, already”?

Disney is hysterical-paranoid enough to keep “Redux Riding Hood” under wraps for any backlash fantasy the studio can think up. But seriously — it should cause no more ripples than “Seinfeld” reruns.

Kevin Martinez

It was Toon Askew that did Clarks, right? I don’t think Disney TV had any part of this. Plus Gargoyles and Schnookums and Meat came before Redux’s 1997, which would’ve been just around the time Disney started getting gung-ho on it’s current TV-animation squalor (KIDS! JUST LIKE YOU! IN EVERY CARTOON!)

Disney a while back was mulling around the idea of putting out a DVD with all of its Oscar winners and nominees, as well as sticking them on iTunes (that was covered on Cartoon Brew). So far, that hasn’t materialized (has it been cancelled?) and I wonder if Redux might’ve been included on it had it happened.

ECJ

I am more excited about seeing Lorenzo than Redux riding hood. Lorenzo is just as unavailable and looks more interesting in both design and subject. Here is the trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXBw8Hkm-_M

http://www.warrenleonhardt.com warren

I saw ‘Redux’ years ago when I was at Disney in Toronto and loved it. It was funny, punchy, and smartly art directed. Whatever that company was thinking about ‘adult skewed content’ in that film totally escaped me then, and now. Nothing remotely risque about it, unless ‘funny’ was considered risque back then.

I was told the film was tucked away along with all the other in-progress shorts in the “Fractured” rollout due to the ol’ executricks line-up change – basically the creative suit heading the operation left, and the next one didn’t want to continue the project for whatever reason. ‘Redux’ just happened to be finished before that event and as a result it got shelved with the rest of the short films which were in various states of completion…no real fuss about the content caused it, just the same old office-politics antics.

I’d love to see all of those films again, though! It looks like there’s something for everyone on the bill.

I Saw Redux Red Riding Hood when it was screened in NYC in 1997 at SVA, the very last 2 minutes were unfinished back then though, it was the most funniest cartoon I’ve ever seen to this day, So Edgey, quick and funny, Fabio is in it as the woodsman, the best, he runs in to save the day and his perfect hair never moves, just sits there on his head frozen in pefectness! The Wolf is sick of being a loser and cant stand his wife and goes back in time using a machine he built to correct his mistake and get Red! Best toon follow up ever! I’m talking ground breaking writing and cool animation style, I cant stand that no one has posted it that I can find, I would love to show it to my students. If ANYONE should ever find it, please email me from my web site at http://www.beyondcomics.tv
thanks.